The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-08-24
4 GREAT DROUGHT.
A Large Area in the Northwest
Almost Without Water.
Streams Drying, Vegetation Dying,
and Disease Imminent,

In cumming up q detailed report of the
great drought in the Northwest, Chicago
paper says: "The first intimation OF severe
drought came from Michigan. In no
part of the State, however, did
the complaint come from any
single area covering more than one county.
Farmers and villagers reported that tnelr
vegetables were suffering, but ten Males dls-
tant there would bereports of abundantralns'
About three weeks ago serious damage was
reported from certain parts Ill Mlchigai,,
and in some counties potatoes were declared
to he failure Next came reports OF dlStreS'
in Indiana, then from Wisconsin, and at the
present time there is scarcely a county pc
tween the lakes and the MISSISSIPPI IN which
rain is not prayed for" -.
Another paper SAYS: "There is an area OF
nerhaps Is OO0 square miles in the Northwest
where the dust lies deep upon the earth. Inc
district is bounded by Madison on the north,
Bloomington on the south, Lake Michigan on
the east and the Mississippi River OH the west
II is within these boundaries that vege-
tation has lost its normal co!or and the eartn
its moisture. Leaves are falling from the
trees, the grass in the meadows has grown
yellow and white, and the streams in
which the cattle used to slake their thirst are
as drv as powder-horns 1t has been nearly
ten weeks since soaking rain fell in this dis
trict. The big bull thistle-the pest of nearly
every farm-has at last succumbed to the fate
of ali other vegetation. In southern Wiscon-
sin there are thousands of acres where corn
will not yield peck to the acre.
"Wells have run dry, and in some towns
famines ore imminent The drinking water
at hand is often polluted and filled with
poisonous germs. Typhoid fever is becoming
prevalent, and dysentery and other
stomach disturbances are so common IN
sonne nlaces as to be almost epidemic Unless
rain falls before many days the suffering will
he greatly augmented The intense heat has
been a terrific strain upon man, but its effect
upon cattle has been simply apall-
ing Without pasturage to browse upon
or nools in which to stand during the hot
hours of the day, the poor beasts have be-
come so emaciated as to be wholly unmarked
able. Hundreds of COWS are killed and ship
ned to market for mere pittance. =,
added to all the miserles attending tne
GREAT drought is the constant fear OF hres.
The tall grass of the prairies is dead, the
fields are ready to burst into flames and leaves
lie in heaps in the forests. spark 6tai Is fire
and the bfistering wind fans the same: In
some towns the people are often called out
three and four times day to fight the flames.
destructive fires have been raging for many
days in Kenosha, Racine and Walworth
Counties in Wisconsin. Thousands of acres
have been swept by the flames, and the loss
to farmers in hay, grain, fencing ana pullu-
ines is great. Above Madison the bogs are
burning fiercely, and the pungent smoke G9i
hangs over the country for miles arouud. The
Northern Illinois fires are so numerous that
the farmers have ploughed the ground abou,
their buildings in order to check the spread
of the flames. "